No. The USDA BioPreferred Program (a.k.a. USDA Certified Biobased) is another bio-based material label on the market. However, the USDA BioPreferred program doesn’t include any metrics for tracking whether bio-based products come from sustainably harvested crops, so LEED does not recognize this label.
Yes, the portion of the product that was sourced locally contributes towards compliance.
It can be tricky to tease out what percentage was locally sourced when it comes to products with multiple ingredients. Focus on procuring whole products locally (eggs, milk, fruits, and vegetables, for example), in order to streamline and simplify your documentation efforts.
No. While this criterion counted as sustainable under LEED 2009, it no longer contributes to earning the credit under LEED v4.
Yes. Even if the total contributing dollar value exceeds 100% of the actual product cost, the full amount calculated contributes to credit compliance. For example, if you purchase apples that come from a farm within 100 miles and are also USDA Organic certified, the purchase would contribute 200% of the actual cost of the apples.
There are a few ways to focus your purchasing and documentation efforts that can help you earn this credit more easily.
First, swap out the products you spend the most money on annually for versions that meet one or more of the sustainability criteria. Good products to target include:
paper productsdisposable kitchen goodscomputers, laptops, and monitors
Second, target higher-cost products where 100% of the cost will count towards credit compliance. Rechargeable batteries and remanufactured toner cartridges are good examples.
A pilot credit is available that outlines an alternative compliance path for buildings without cooling towers. To see if you qualify, determine whether your building falls under System 7 or System 8 as outlined in ASHRAE 90.1–2010 Appendix G Table G3.1.1. If it does—and if you don’t have a cooling tower—you can use the pilot credit to achieve this credit.
The credit requires that projects assess each feature, but it does not require that every assessment influence the project design.
The goal of the credit is really to get people thinking about the site, to educate people about the importance of site analysis, and to demonstrate that there are benefits to conducting this type of assessment early in any project.
GBCI allows a variety of submittals, including USGBC's Site Assessment Worksheet.
Other projects have compiled more extensive reports on their project sites. One such project created a PDF with photos, descriptions, interviews (with neighboring property owners, for example), diagrams, and charts depicting the different elements (required site features) in the credit requirements.
Not all of the recommended analysis areas will be applicable to every project. If your project has site constraints, include an explanation on the USGBC Site Assessment Worksheet for each non-applicable topic.
However, don’t be afraid to get creative! For example, even if there is no pre-existing vegetation on the lot now, researching native plants in the same U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ecoregion could inform what goes into a terrace planter. Another example is researching the health of the city’s water supply to inform a water use reduction target for your building.
Yes, any project can pursue this credit regardless of site condition.